They say in sports that it doesn’t matter how you get there, as long as you ultimately get there. You don’t get credit for style points. SU would have to agree. The Yankees had a good run through Boston and Toronto, and then limped through the weekend series against the Rays. They avoided the extra “play-in” game with the dramatic 1-0 win yesterday.

In the end, SU says it’s better that they play Boston vs. Toronto which is a hot team and can put runs on the board throughout their line-up. They lost the ability to play at home but I honestly don’t think that will make a huge difference. This season, playing at Yankee Stadium and watching the team not hit and puzzling over Boone’s in-game decisions only creates stress in the stadium among the fan base. The one issue is having to watch Chapman potentially try and save a game in the bottom of the 9th with the Boston fans cheering. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Here is what’s important:

1. DJ LeMahieu is out through the wild card and Divisional rounds. While unfortunate, SU says he has not been good – all year. And we have to guess that the sports hernia has bothered him all year. The problem is that Urshela was injured making that incredible catch yesterday in the Rays’ dugout and had to be pulled late in the game. At best, hard to believe he can play at all much less at shortstop. SU would play either Wade or Velazquez at shortstop then and put Odor at 3rd base. I think Wade deserves a shot but Boone seems to like him as a pinch runner late in games. Odor got a big hit yesterday but he is basically an automatic out.
2. Which Cole will you get on Tuesday night on an extra day’s rest? He won’t be a secret to the Red Sox who have seen him 4 times this year (at least). Eovaldi is even more familiar to the Yankees. It’s one game and hard to know or anticipate what you will get. What is more important, says SU, is how Boone manages the bullpen. He got away with it yesterday but the analytics have to say that not every reliever will be good in the game. So, maybe you extend the relievers that are throwing well for an extra inning? The “scripting” of the bullpen is not ideal if you remove the hot hand too early for the next guy because that’s what it says on your paper. SU does not trust Boone in these situations.
3. The Yankees hit 1 home run over the weekend. And they had a lot of trouble scoring. The Rays were playing for nothing and must be chomping at the bit to play the Yankees in the Divisional round. SU says that Cash actually faced Judge in the 9th inning rather than walk him to see how things unfolded. I think he was experimenting for the playoffs and what happened here will influence his decision-making. Same with Stanton and whether you walk him to face Gallo. Cash did not do that. It’s so interesting to see how Gallo factors into the post-season if he still hits after Stanton. He finished with over 200 strikeouts and 100 walks. Pretty incredible. He is a very good outfielder and the bunt will be there with the shift. He absolutely has to bunt a lot on Tuesday night if the situation presents itself.
4. The Yankees have played the Red Sox something like 14 times in the last 3 months. It’s fitting that they play each other in the wild card to advance. MLB has done the right thing penalizing the wild card teams to have to play 1 game and rewarding the division winners.

Normally I would say advantage Boston in a game like this. But Cora has not managed well against the Yankees this season and there is no advantage there. The key will be when you take Cole out. His pattern the last few starts is to start badly and then find a groove after giving up some runs. You don’t have the luxury in a 1-game elimination game for that. On the other hand, he makes $30 million a year for these games and he is your best bet. The Yankee bullpen is much better than Boston’s but Houck is good and he can strike out a lot of hitters in a row out of the pen.

At the start of the season, SU said that a successful season for the Yankees would be getting to the World Series. I will stick with that. Losing in the wild card or to the Rays is not a successful season. I am cautiously optimistic that they can win this game. I see a 6-5 win with Chapman given a 6-3 lead going into the bottom of the 9th inning. The only silver lining is that the Yankees can also put its fans out of their misery by losing, and allow us all to catch up on Netflix. The season has been a slog.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers after a 100+ win season have to beat the hot, hot Cardinals just to advance and play the Giants in the Divisional series. MLB should consider reseeding based on wins after the wild card round. A Giants-Dodgers series for 5 games should really happen in the next round.

The floor is open. Any predictions for tomorrow night?